Abike Dabiri And Her Shameful Press Release -By Azuka Onwuka

Please see this press release below from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and understand the selective ethnic profiling Abike Dabiri-Erewa engaged in over the crimes by Nigerians in Saudi Arabia and UAE, and why she was called out.

When Abike Dabiri-Erewa hid the identity of the woman executed in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking, I knew the woman was of the same ethnicity as she is. When she refused to also mention the names of the 20 Nigerians on death row in Saudi Arabia, I knew too that their ethnicity did not please her and the narrative she wanted to present. She even defended those arrested for drug trafficking as victims of airlines who put drugs in their luggage.

By being silent on the identity of the executed woman and those on death row but eagerly identifying the armed robbers in UAE, she wanted to pass a message.

In serious countries, a person like that should be sacked for such a shameless action, because she has proved that she does not have the capacity to be fair to all Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds. Injustice is treating equals unequally or treating unequals equally.

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja

PRESS RELEASE

No: MFA/PR/2019/19

The Federal Government of Nigeria has condemned in the strongest terms, the execution of a Nigerian national, Mrs Kudirat Adesola Afolabi, widow and mother of two, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for drug related offences.

While Nigeria respects the sovereignty of States, and abhors the violation of domestic laws of any country, the Government however does not condone such inhumane treatment being meted on a Nigerian national. It also frowns at the Saudi authorities for not informing the Nigerian missions in Saudi Arabia of the arrest and prosecution of the deceased Nigerian, only to invite the mission to take the last will of the deceased prior to her execution on 1st April, 2019.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore wishes to assure Nigerians that it has engaged the Saudi authorities through their Ambassador in Nigeria, to ensure that the normal diplomatic practice of informing missions of the arrests of our nationals is adhered to, and that fair hearing is given to other Nigerians undergoing judicial processes in Saudi Arabia.

Signed
Amb. Mustapha Lawal Sulaiman
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja

Thursday, 4th April, 2019